Madden NFL 10

Easily and by far the all-together best game of the franchise.

Overall Madden 10 is a great football experience for anyone who doesn’t have animosity for EA and isn’t a fan boy of the former competitor.

In the end Madden 10 is the kind of game that I am willing to look past the shortcomings because what’s good is really, really good. It’s worth putting up with the faults in order to experience what works.

So whether you’ve played Madden year after year, or have been a hold out since the 2K franchise’s demise, all fans of the pigskin will be happy to hear that this is the Madden to own no matter who you are. Not only is this the best representation of the franchise to date, but is quite possibly the best football title to date.

There's a noticeable focus on keeping you actively involved in the game and it's an effort that succeeds in spades.

Madden 10 eclipses last-year’s effort in content, realism and value. Gameplay? Well, that’s more of a wash when compared to last year, and gameplay holds a lot of weight.

If you rarely play online or have a slow Internet connection and hate micro-managing, stop reading now and go buy last year's game instead. If you don't fit into either of those molds, then this will be the most satisfying experience playing virtual sports ever.

Complementing the on-field awesomeness is Year Two of online franchise mode. It’s better than before — you can even manage it from EA’s website or from your iPhone — and we encountered no issues during our testing.

While this latest effort has its share of missteps, it's still the best Madden in recent memory. Gameplay is king, and Madden NFL 10 is plain and simple a hell of a lot of fun to play. This is a must-have for football fans.

It seems that Madden has finally caught up to the new generation. Madden NFL 10 is a hit, and football fans everywhere will rejoice at what it has to offer.

Overall Madden NFL 10 is a fantastic title. It is one of the best Madden titles released in quite a long time.

An outstanding game - the best the series has ever seen. A great technical foundation has been laid with this year's outing, and true Madden fans will appreciate the package EA has put together.

More than ever before, Madden looks, feels and plays like any given Sunday. If you purchase one football game this decade, this is it.

The improvements -- the tackling, the animations, the authenticity in general -- work together to make this one of the best football titles ever created. There’s no reason not to own this thing if you’re looking for a videogame that recreates the NFL experience in a fun, immersive, and competitive way.

Madden has slowed down a bit in Madden NFL 10, but in terms of performance it has ramped up to a new high.

Luckily, the plethora of new additions makes the nagging issues less offensive. It just misses being the football messiah many Maddenites are claiming it to be, but Tiburon has found a way to take their successful formula to the next level, creating a football experience that’s not only incredibly satisfying now, but has me looking forward to where they go from here.

There’s no such game as “Perfect” but Madden NFL 10 and the development team over at EA Tiburon continues to offer the greatest football experience year after year. The Online Franchise and the possibility to play with a friend online are welcomed additions and the overall product is a must have for any Madden hardcore fan out there.

Following FIFA's path, EA improved Madden keeping in mind the most important thing: the gameplay. It is deep, interaction is great, the action bring to an experience that you can feel in any other sport title of the publisher. There wasn't the hurry to find something new with Madden, but the work done is great anyway.

An impressive all around performance from Madden this year makes it the best Madden recently released if not of all time.

It’s hard to believe that EA’s Madden NFL 2010 is the 5th Madden release on the Xbox 360. Each incarnation has built upon and improved on the previous. Madden 2009 made the series and the sport itself accessible to the masses – so how much room has the latest release got to move?

Greatly improved gameplay mechanics make it a long lasting gridiron enjoyment. Overall Madden NFL 10 is a step in the right direction for the series and well worth the upgrade from Madden 2009.

If you are a fan of the series, this is a no-brainer to pick up, but even if you are even a mild sports fan, you cannot go wrong with Madden NFL 10.

Madden NFL 10 may well be the best Madden game. This is a great pickup for any football fan. Franchise mode is great this year. A lot more features added to give you a more in depth look at your team, and what is happening around the league. Online franchise is a great addition.

Madden NFL 10 doesn’t redefine the series or innovate in any monumental way, but that doesn’t stop it from being a truly great football game.

It's the best Madden game yet. But it's just not that huge a leap from Madden 09 to recommend an upgrade.

A real standout is the game’s gang tackles, which allow some control in moving the pile, but at the same time is not too powerful.

It's hard to argue with the general direction the series has taken, and most players will be happy with the end result, but if you're hoping for a game where true skill always determines the winner there is some disappointment to work through.

Overall, Madden NFL 10 is a nice little upgrade over last year’s game. That being said, "little" is the operative word.

A stimulating, compelling game of gridiron.

The Madden game franchise seems to be on a gradual climb towards perfection that shows no signs of ever stopping. After all Madden EA Sports has produced, you have to wonder if they will ever stop, even when they have perfected their craft. Madden NFL 10 is closer to the real sport of football than anything we have ever played.

The improved gameplay adds realism but doesn’t take away the user-friendly experience is a definite asset, especially to a beginner. Most Madden games don’t add much to the game to warrant a purchase every single year, but the amount of tweaks in Madden 10 is definitely worth a look at the very least. It’s safe to say Madden 10 is the best Madden yet!

New gameplay and presentation tweaks and the all-new online franchise are welcomed with open arms, but disappointments from The Extra Point, online co-op, and the commentary don't make it the greatest Madden game ever.

Madden NFL 10 is the best American Football game out there and knows to improve on it's predecessor. It's clear to say that this is a must have for all the fans of the sport.

While the slower pace might cause some of the more hardcore fans of the series to take issue, it allows those not completely at home with the control scheme to finally be able to pull off some technically impressive plays, making it one of the most accessible Maddens yet.

Madden NFL 10 is a great game but does not really offer enough over last years version. It may be the best American Football game out there but original it isn’t.

Madden NFL 10 goes on with the slow but steady progress of the EA franchise: despite this edition isn't full of big news, the game remains must buy for every Football lover, and thanks to the extensive tutorials it could attract people who are interested but not familiar with this sport.

For all of the things that Madden NFL '10 does right, it's certainly not the perfect experience. It's easily the finest incarnation of the series since the arrival of the 360 and PS3, and it signals the first true statement as to how the future of the series is going to be.

In our opinion Madden NFL 10 is possibly the best ever American football game ever to grace a console, thanks to the work the team is making every year to improve on the formula. Improvements are subtle, but constant with each release.

Football fundamentals matter now. Successful plays come from knowing the situation, calling the right play, making a good pre-snap read, and then executing -- the same criteria that determines the outcome in a real game.

Madden 10’s improvements also highlight just how rusty the A.I. has gotten over the years. Spit and polish have taken the series far over the last two decades, but this is the first sign that maybe a more substantial revision is due.

If you have a solid internet connection and have the time to dedicate to the game’s impressive franchise mode, Madden NFL 10 is a must-buy. But if you’re a more casual gamer just wanting to play this game for a bit, you might be better pressed to get last year’s version of the game.

Not the madden of old but a sober replicant. [Dec 2009, p.89]

It’s no doubt the most authentic. The biggest problem is how inaccessible it is. As a Brit who understands how the sport works, and who played Madden back in 2000, the game can still be a mind-bending, frustrating exercise in trial and error.

While Madden 10 is our favorite football game of this generation, it suffers from trying to do too much. We love the new gameplay engine (more, please!) but could’ve happily done without most of the presentation “improvements” that get more irritating with each game.

EA should take a page out of FIFA's book here: focus on the game. Every iteration - pre-alpha onwards - sit down and play a full game, 15-minute quarters. If it feels 'right', then you're on the right path.

Madden NFL 10 may not have taken huge leaps and bounds forward, but the game does build on last years solid instalment. Tweaks in a few key areas, most notably the games AI mean the game provides a more realistic and fluid experience of the NFL.

Heaven for the fans, tough love for the rest. [Oct 2009, p.86]

Gameplay finally feels more akin to the sport we watch on television, successfully capturing some of the chaos and brutality of the real game.

Refines its engine to the most impressive degree. [Issue#50, p.92]

Despite the issues Madden NFL 10 has, the bottom line is the gameplay is as tight as it has ever been, with the new tweaks adding to an already accurate American Football experience. A few niggles here and there prevent this from being an essential crossover sports title, so for now, Madden NFL 10 will satisfy the current fanbase rather than appeal to a new one.

Overall, this is a massive leap from previous years.

Tougher on NFL newbies then (which lots of us Brits are) but arguably more rewarding for the hardcore, Madden NFL 10 is an intriguing step forward for the series, while also - perhaps - a slightly alienating one. [Nov 2009, p.86]

If you can live with adjusting the sliders until you get the right feel, or can't live without the most current roster, or are salivating at playing a league with 31 of your closest football buddies, then you will find Madden NFL 10 worth the price of admission. If you can't though, then you might want to consider that annual purchase.

It's almost as if Madden 10 represents a back-to-basics philosophy for the franchise, taking the focus away from fancy modes and even fancier presentation elements for the purpose of making the sport itself the main draw, but there are still many lingering problems.

Madden NFL 10 creates solid fun but doesn't bring a polished experience. While annoyances are disappointing, the game play is good enough to pick up the slack.

Another incremental improvement that adds some welcome new features but fails to fix old ones.